


Thick as Thieves

by VikingWoman



Series: The Guilds [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crimes & Criminals, Developing Relationship, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Injury Recovery, Magic, Mild Language, Post-Canon, Prostitution, Slow Burn, Thieves Guild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:42:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23058694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VikingWoman/pseuds/VikingWoman
Summary: Etienne Rarnis was freed from the Thalmor Embassy by a new Wood Elf member of the Thieves Guild. He gets back to Riften to find things drastically changed from the way they were when he was captured. It makes no difference to him, his job hasn't changed from what it's always been.Except he finds himself being constantly paired with the Wood Elf by the guild and he has to admit he's starting to like it.Brynjolf has a job from Maven Black- Briar that he is starting to plan for the Guild that will require a little of everyone's help.
Relationships: Etienne Rarnis/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Guilds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657186
Kudos: 8





	1. First Meetings

Etienne wasn't having the best day he decided, or maybe he had been having a bad week. He blamed the curse that the guild seemed to be suffering from lately. How long had he really been here already?  
He had been taken from the Ratway by some Thalmor agents when he had been returning from a job. They had beaten him and then used some potion on him, forcing him to drink it, that had knocked him out. He had awakened later already tied up, outside the city, and in the back of a wagon on his way north. The agents wouldn't speak to him during the trip, wouldn't even tell him why he was being taken into custody.  
He suspected it didn't have anything to do with the actual guild or they would have taken him to the jail. They were after something else he had suspected immediately.  
When they had brought him all this way - he was sure they were in the mountains above the Hold of Solitude- they drug him into the dungeon. He heard them call the place the Thalmor Embassy and he knew he would never be leaving, the Thalmor weren't known for being kind individuals.  
They drug him into the dungeon and shackled him to the walls, they tore his clothes from him leaving him in tattered rags. After that there were only three people that would come see him. One was a young servant girl that would bring him food and clean him with the cold water she brought with her. Then there were the two that were torturing him, one man and one woman both of them elves.  
They would beat him, cut him, or use their magic spells on him. They would wound him and then heal him so that he wouldn't die on them during questioning. They kept asking him about the Ratway and the Flagon asking who inhabited the places. He would tell them nothing of the guild and he personally knew very little about the vagrants living in the sewers. They didn't seem very interested in the crazies that called that place home.  
They kept asking about an old man they suspected were living there and insisting he must know something of the one they seek.  
He was certain he would die here. His guild would never know what happened to him and he would never see the streets of his beloved city Riften again.  
Etienne went through days of this cycle of being wounded and then being healed, it was exhausting in itself. He was getting to where he wished he did know something to tell them but at this point he knew they wouldn't believe him now. After a long time of this cycle, he wasn't sure how long, there was one day they didn't heal him after the torture.  
He was left with a burn on his chest that made it hard to breath for how tight the skin felt, he could feel warm blood dripping down the side of his face, and he was sure they had broken his ankle. It felt wrong and was turning a very alarming shade of purple. He didn't want to imagine what he looked like now. No doubt it wasn't a pretty sight.  
He was letting himself just hang from the shackles trying to find some semblance of peace so he could rest. The pain in his chest and the awkward position were already making it difficult to do so as it was.  
He was almost asleep when he heard the doo above being opened and then it was silent. He didn't hear any foot steps coming his way until the step at the bottom of the stairs let out a soft creaking sound. He had learned what boards made sounds early on, he could always judge who was coming to the cell by those sounds. He didn't recognize these footsteps though.  
Etienne lifted his head to see which of his captors was coming to pay him a visit, he knew it was the servant that had been feeding him she would always announce herself. The people torturing him had never been this quiet coming into the dungeons either.  
When he looked up at the entrance to his cell there was a figure standing there clad in Thalmor robes just like all of the rest of the people that came down here. He frowned, this one didn't look like either of the two he was used to seeing come down here to question him.  
The door to his cell swung open and the person stepped in removing the cowl from her robes.  
He frowned, it wasn't a Thalmor agent like he had been expecting.  
It was a Bosmer -a Wood Elf- woman. He had never seen anyone other than High Elves wearing the robes.  
She had bronzed skin, black eyes, and long auburn hair that was pulled into a braid. Her features were sharp and narrow like most elven races though her face didn't look as severe as the High Elves. She was average height, so she was actually a little bit taller than him.  
Once she was in the cell she tossed a bag down on the floor and then turned to face him.  
"What do you want? Here to torture me some more you damned elf?" he panted.  
She glanced at him arching a brow before scoffing a bit. He watched her open the Thalmor robes and toss them to the side revealing a new armor set beneath them, Thieves Guild armor. His eyes widened in shock as he looked up at the woman's face to see her eyes studying him.  
"Etienne Rarnis?" she asked, her voice sultry to his ears.  
"Yes. Did the guild send you?' he asked looking up at her hopefully.  
"They did." she said stepping forward to get a better look at his shackles.  
He watched as she used her picks to toy with the lock, he hands moving meticulously. It wasn't long before there was an audible click of the locks turning him loose. When she slid the shackles open she reached out catching him as he tried to collapse to the floor. She was stronger than she looked, he realized as she half dragged half carried him to a more comfortable position on a small pile of hay.  
Once he was sat down she turned her attention to his wounded chest.  
"Thalmor bastards." she muttered examining the burns then the ankle. "It's going to hurt either way...."  
"What is?" he asked.  
"You can't travel like this." she sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to have to heal you. Which would you rather me do first burn or the broken bones?"  
"Why is this going to hurt exactly?" he asked frowning. "When the Thalmor healed me it wasn't so bad."  
"They are probably more practiced than I am. I don't usually have to heal other people just myself."  
"I trust your judgement in the matter, I'm not magically inclined myself."  
She sighed and turned her attention to the burn first. He watched as she removed her gloves revealing long slender fingers that looked almost delicate, no wonder she was so skilled at lock picking he thought.  
She placed her hand gently over the burn and she seemed to pause taking a few deep breaths, her eyes closing.  
"Take a deep breath and hold it till I say otherwise." she instructed.  
Etienne closed his own eyes and sucked in as deep a breath as he could manage. It wasn't a pleasant feeling the skin being pulled tight against his chest. Before he had sat like that for very long he felt a cool soothing sensation start to spread from the palm of her hand she had resting against his chest.  
"Breath out." she said in a hushed voice.  
As he released the breath he felt the tightness of his skin start to fade away and it was becoming easier to breath. He sucked in a breath of air and for the first time since he had received the burns it didn't pain him. He opened his eyes when the hand pulled away from his chest and looked down at the former wound, it was now only a red mark on his chest.  
He looked up at her with a smile "That's amazing. It doesn't hurt anymore."  
She gave him a smile then turned her attention to his ankle, she ran her fingers over the purple bruise slowly feeling for the bones. She gave a slight hum before cutting her eyes at him not looking him full in the face.  
"This one will hurt greatly." she said voice void of emotion.  
She got up and told him she would be right back, he watched her exit the cell to look around the rest of the room. She returned after a few moments with a rag -that looked mostly clean- that she rolled up into a bundle. She placed it into his hand with a grim look.  
"Couldn't find anything else, bite down on that." she ordered him with a sigh.  
Etienne frowned and put the rag into his mouth biting down on the cloth. He turned his head so he wouldn't have to watch what ever was going to come next.  
"Ready?" she asked placing both of her hands onto his ankle.  
He gave a nod closing his eyes.  
She pressed her hands down onto the wound and his bit down hard on the cloth against the white hot pain. The pain was horrible and he wanted to vomit, he would have if his stomach hadn't been empty. After the first few minutes of pain he could feel the cooling magic slowly starting to spread through the wound. It felt like forever but the pain began to fade and he didn't feel like he would be sick anymore.  
After a few moments, she pulled her hands away and she fell backwards leaning against the wall of the cell. Etienne yanked the rag from his mouth and slowly got to his feet offering his hand to the sitting woman.  
"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously.  
"I'm alright." she panted nodding. "Magic just takes a lot out of me."  
He gave a slight nod "Thank you."  
"No mention it." she said smiling. "The bag I brought with me, you'll need what's in it."  
Etienne grabbed the satchel she had tossed onto the floor of the cell and slung the flap open. Inside he found a set of the Thieves Guild armor, a few potions of healing, a steel dagger, and some lock picks. He grabbed the armor out of the bag and started to put the new clothes on.  
Once he was dressed he turned back to look at the elf who had gotten back on her feet looking towards the floor above them. HE noted the frown on her face.  
"Hear something?"  
"There's someone up there." she whispered softly. "Do you know another way out?"  
"There's a trap door, I saw them throw a dead body down there." he said softly. "I don't know if it leads out of here but maybe they won't follow us."  
She nodded and they turned to the back of the dungeon crouched low so they could get to the trap door. When they got to the trap door they found that it was locked and while Etienne stood watch the elf woman turned her attention to the lock. He heard the sounds of the door at the top of the stairs open and the voices of his former captors, he reached back to touch her arm slightly giving a quiet moment.  
She nodded her head and continued twisting the pick in the lock until there was a click.  
The final step creaked as he heard the laughing of the High Elves come to a stop.  
The Wood Elf opened the trap door and slipped through with Etienne right behind her letting the trap door drop behind him. He heard the yells of the elves but as the two thieves darted down the cave tunnel the High Elves made no attempt to follow them. This made him worry, the Thalmor didn't like someone getting the better of them so it made no sense for them to not pursue them.  
Etienne was getting ready to call out to the Wood Elf when there was suddenly a yelp from her as she disappeared from view. Etienne stopped just short of the small drop she had fallen off of the short distance to the floor, he teetered on the edge for a moment before regaining his balance.  
"Are you alright?" he asked her.  
She chuckled looking up at him "Yeah I'm - Shit!"  
Etienne was about to question her when she leapt away from a charging white figure. The bulky creature slung his arms wildly trying to hit the female Wood Elf, though she was able to get out of the way of the charging beast. When it came to a stop with a roar of rage Etienne was able to identify the Frost Troll.  
He knew now why the Thalmor hadn't tried to follow them through the tunnel. He also knew that they weren't going to bring it down with just the dagger the two of them were carrying with them.  
As the troll started to move for her, Etienne backed up to get a running start before he leapt off of the ledge. He landed on the troll's back causing it to stumble and start to fall, before he had lost his momentum he leapt to the cave floor running for the Wood Elf woman grabbing her arm.  
"Run!" he yelled.  
The two turned for what they hoped was the opening of the cave because there was light coming from the entrance. They were both fleet of foot and were getting close to the light before the troll started to follow. The trolls weren't known for being quick so once they saw the lead they had on the beast they knew they wouldn't be overtaken.  
The two thieves ran without stop for almost an hour, slowing to catch their breath occasionally but never stopping.  
When they had gotten far enough from the Thalmor Embassy they found a quiet spot to sit and catch their breath. While they were resting Etienne frowned he didn't even know who had saved him, all he knew was she was with the guild.  
"Hey, uh, ma'am? What are you called, I mean you know who I am?" he asked embarrassed.  
She looked up at him breathing a bit heavy "Deino."  
"Well... thank you Deino." he said softly.  
After they had caught their breath she got to her feet and motioned for him to follow her along the small foot path they had been running along.  
"If we stay along this road we'll come to the main road and make our way to Dragon's Bridge, I have a wagon waiting there to take us back to Riften." she informed him.  
"Good beats walking all that way." he sighed.  
"It would prove a long walk." she agreed.  
They walked along the footpath in silence.  
The little patches of woods they passed through were also quiet the snow muting the sounds around them. As they walked the muted noises began to set them on edge a bit, there were none of the usual sounds that would be expected in the woods of Skyrim. They didn't see any animals scurrying around, there were no birds singing in the trees, or any bugs buzzing around them. The only sounds were their footsteps and their own breathing.  
It was unsettling for the two.

Brynjolf walked along the cobbled roads of the streets of Riften towards the Bee and Barb Inn, he had a meeting with Mavin that was important to the guild. He was the one in the guild that was designated by the Guild Master to deal with the woman, they figured he was charming and patient enough to stay on her good side. Brynjolf didn't mind it as much, it gave him the chance to get some fresh air out from inside the Flagon.  
Mavin Black- Briar was one of the few people that knew members of the Thieves Guild on a first name basis, she was one of the nobles that paid them for services regularly. She was the only noble that resided in Riften that was keeping them well paid and when they needed something done at court she went before the Jarl with their interests at heart. There were always favors traded between them for the deed.  
The Jarl's trusted Steward was also in Mavin's pocket so she used her to help sway the woman whenever they needed it.  
When he entered the Inn he saw a few heads turn his way, there were a few people in the city that knew he had connections to the Guild and always watched him like a hawk. He simply smiled and continued on his way up the stairs towards his planned meeting with Mavin, the owners of the inn knew better than to try stopping him.  
When Brynjolf got the the second floor - where the rented rooms were located - he looked to the sitting area where he expected his meeting to take place. He saw the woman already sitting there with a cup of mead in her hand, her face pinched and sour looking as always.  
He took a deep breath and put a smile on his face stepping forward.  
"Mavin lovely to see you." he said striding towards her. "You're looking as lovely as ever."  
"Spare me your flattery." she said haughtily.  
He bowed his head sitting across from her "Alright. What can the Guild do for you Mavin?"  
She looked up at him with a frown "One of my business partners - Niven Arn- has recently built a large and spacious home in the country side of Markarth. He has been more than a good business partner over the years but I fear things have gone.... sour. I have received word that he is starting business dealings with one of my newer competitors. This of course is unacceptable and if it's true than I want it to come to an end."  
"Alright, what do you want the guild to do about it?" Brynjolf asked crossing his arms over his chest.  
"There is a contract in his home that prohibits me from using another exporter, until now this wasn't an issue but he is starting to agree to less of my exports. In favor of the man in Markath."  
"So you want us to steal the contract so he no longer has a hold on you?"  
"Yes but I also want him ruined." she said smiling. "His wife is the rich one and she is away visiting family in Hammerfell, see what you can do about seperating him from his money."  
"We can do that." Brynjolf agreed. "Anything else that we need to know?"  
"Yes." Mavin said pulling a paper from her pocket. "He is having a little 'housewarming' party that he has invited my sons too in what he believes is secret. I'm sure you can figure out what kind of party this will turn into."  
"I know what kind of party we can turn this into. How long?"  
"He is going to take a few weeks to set it up when his wife is back out of town, she returns in a few days. I will pull a few strings to get you and a few extra men into the house with Sibbi who insists on going. It would make a good cover for you."  
"I'll start putting a few plans together. The girls at Rift Weald manor may be able to offer some help."  
"Good. I suppose this concludes our business, take this note and we will discuss payment when the job is done."  
"Of course."  
Brynjolf stood and gave Mavin a nod as he set off on his way back to the Guild. He would speak with Khi'al about the job and then speak with a few of his connections to get things moving along. Delvin and Vex would be able to find out what he needed o know about the man in questions house. He would speak with Deino about getting some help from the working girls in the city, she had a rapport with them that no one else in the guild really shared.  
He made his way towards the back of the Temple of Mara to the little crypt, this was their secret entrance to the Cistern where they hid their people. He stepped into the little crypt and was standing in front of the stone coffin within, on the front of the coffin was one of the guild Shadowmarks. The mark was a button that activated the gears under the stone coffin and pulled the coffin back to reveal the actual entrance.  
The only issue he had with entering this way was the grinding noise that it made. The sound of stone on stone was wretched and he knew the guards had sent complaint letters to the Temple demanding they keep it quiet with the threat of fines.  
When the entrance was open he stepped down and pressed the button below that would slide the coffin back into place.  
Brynjolf went into the cistern where most of the guild lived and went about their daily lives. The ring around the pool of water in the center of the cistern were made of stone and lined with beds. There were small stone bridges that ran from the four separate sections that made up the ring and lead to a center platform that sat a bit above the pool of water.   
Two of the sections were for beds, one for the little 'office' area of the cistern, and another was the area for the food. There were of course halls that branched off of the sections as well. One lead out to their secret entrance, one to the vault, one to the Flagon, and the final one ran to the training room.  
Brynjolf walked along the paths going to the Flagon to find the members of the guild he knew would be sitting together drinking. The only one he knew wouldn't be there would be Deino since she had been sent north to try locating Etienne if possible.  
She had assured him it would be easier for elves to get into the Thalmor Embassy then anyone else, Niruin agreed. He would speak to her when she returned with Etienne.  
He briefly let himself worry over the two. He had been trained by Gallus to consider the guild family -they all had- and it hurt everyone when they lost a member. So when Mercer had lied to them saying that Etienne was dead they had all started mourning in their own way, until Khi'al had found evidence in the former leader's house that he was alive.  
Khi'al had been the one to reveal that Mercer Frey was a traitor to the Guild and to Nocturnal. He had stolen the Skeleton Key, taken everything out of the vault, and had been the true murderer of Gallus framing a fellow Nightingale for the crime. He had been just as surprised by the revelation, he followed Koraliah and Khi'al to chase down the traitor becoming a Nightingale himself.  
This had prompted the guild erecting a statue to the Daedra Nocturnal.  
Khi'al had gotten them back on track to becoming a successful guild again and was the new Guild Master. He was a Khaljiit man with white and black fur, sharp yellow eyes, and an amusing outlook on life. He stayed in the Cistern most days when he doesn't set out on his own little job for the guild, he was out on his own mission right now.  
Brynjolf sighed he hoped everyone's jobs went well and whispered a small prayer to the Daedra for her blessing on the members.

Etienne and Deino walked into the small town of Dragon's Bridge moving along the road, it was late in the afternoon almost dark.  
As they made their way to the bridge, where Deino told him the wagon was waiting, they heard whispers among the citizens. They had seen a group of Thalmor agents go through the town on horse back making their way south, none of them had slowed as they went through the town.  
"They must be heading to Riften." Etienne said softly falling into step with her again.  
"More than likely." she agreed. "What did they want from you?"  
"They're looking for someone in the warrens, some old man." he sighed shaking his head. "I think the man is there, I'm sure he paid Mercer to let him stay there."  
She gave a hum and the pointed to a wagon across the bridge "There that's our way home."  
The two sprinted forward eagerly and climbed into the back of the wagon.  
The driver turned in his seat "What's the word?"  
"Shadows hide you." Deino said taking a seat.  
"Welcome back malady." he said turning back and using his whip to move the horses along.  
The wagon got onto the road and the driver told them that a group of about six Thalmor had rode by a little while ago. He said he had half expected the two not to make it to the meeting because of this and had offered prayers on their behalf. Through most of the first half of the ride the driver talked to talk not really waiting to see if either thief answered him.  
While he drove along the two thieves took turns getting some rest in the back of the wagon. Etienne fell asleep easily after being kept chained up in the cell, that had been the hardest way to get sleep he had found. The sleep he had gotten there had been very few hours between his beatings and he never felt rested afterwards. He was sure they were hoping too keep him awake so they could use his exhaustion against him.

Deino watched the Breton man fall asleep across from her against the wall of the wagon. He wasn't what she had expected when they had told her to go rescue him, he had been believed dead when she had first been recruited and everyone had been in mourning over the man.  
He looked like most Bretons she supposed. He had long blond hair, the pale skin that they were known for, brown eyes, and a his features were similar to a nord man's. He was shorter than her by almost three inches and she was the average height of a Nord man. He had wiry muscle from what she had seen while he had been changing and was rather hairy, which surprised her a bit. She figured he took more after the Nord bloodline than the elf bloodline that Bretons had.  
It was hard to tell his age like most of the people she worked with, though she knew from Niruin that they were both older than more then a few of them. Being elves they were both gifted with long life, most of their kind lived to be centuries old.  
While he slept and the driver mostly hummed to himself she turned her attention to the wildlife around them.  
"Did you pack the bow like I asked?" she whispered.  
"I did indeed." he said reaching forward under his seat.  
He handed her the bow and a few arrows.  
"That's all I could get you." he said.  
"I can make it work." she said nodding.

When Etienne awoke it was to a slightly unpleasant sight, mostly because he hadn't been prepared for it.  
When he awoke he was looking across to the Wood Elf woman who was holding a dead rabbit. The two stared at one another for a moment before she chuckled whipping her mouth, cleaning away the rabbit's blood.  
"What the hell?!" he demanded eyes wide. "What are you doing?"  
"I'm eating would you like some?" she asked.  
Etienne frowned and shook his head.  
"You don't spend a lot of time around Wood Elves do you?" she asked.  
"No, I had forgot that your people are meat eaters." he said shifting. "Some sort of deal you made with nature right?"  
"Our ancestors made the Green Pact that we wouldn't harm or consume vegetation We only ever eat meat."  
"I'd heard that there were some of your people that actually consume human flesh."  
"Whatever we kill we have to eat it's in the pact. But that usually only applies to our home land." she said shrugging.  
Etienne gave a hum and turned to look at the driver who seemed unconcerned about whatever the two were doing.  
"So, how did you find me anyway?" he asked frowning.  
"We found a note in Mercer Frey's old house, an agreement between him and the Thalmor that carried you off." she explained "They sent me to find you when they realized where you had been taken. They knew it would be easier for me to get in then it would be for one of the others."  
"Being an elf and all."  
"Yes."  
"You weren't there when I was taken which means you're a new member. How did you get to be with the guild?"  
She smiled "I am still fairly new with the guild but I have experience as a thief from before I came to Skyrim. I and my family were traveling Bards, on top of sneak thieves. No one ever really suspected us."  
"So it was a family business so to speak?"  
"Myself, my parents, and my three brothers."  
"Three brothers? Must have been interesting growing up."  
"Two older brothers and one younger. We were a close knit family so it wasn't so bad."  
"What made you want to leave the family and stay in Riften?" Etienne asked frowning.  
Deino looked thoughtful for a brief moment then smiled "Just ready to have somewhere to call home and Riften had that.... appeal. Brynjolf was quick to find me and the rest is pretty much history."  
"You said earlier that Mercer Frey was involved with the Thalmor. What happened, was he punished?"  
"He's dead now. You have missed a lot my new friend."  
Etienne listened as Deino told him what all he had missed during his capture. She explained that there was a Khaljiit man named Khi'al in charge of the guild now and he had been the one to uncover Mercer's betrayal. He and a dark elf woman named Koraliah brought evidence to the guild in the form of Gallus' journal, he had been the Guild Master before Mercer.  
When the story was over Mercer's crimes were stealing from the guild, selling Etienne to the Thalmor, murdering Gallus, attempting to murder Khi'al, and stealing a gem that the guild had had their eyes on for awhile. She also told him about the Nightingales in their ranks now and how Nocturnal worship had been brought to the Guild.  
She also mentioned that she lived in the basement tunnels of Mercer's old house and that the upper floors had been converted into a brothel. They had it mostly decorated as a Dibellan temple of course to where it had been approved by the Jarl. They also accepted and encouraged 'donations' when offering their services to the town which allowed them to work without breaking the law against prostitution that the city had.  
"Huh, I have missed a lot haven't I?" Etienne asked in awe.  
She smiled "I'm sure you'll be caught right up when we get back."  
"I suppose I'll need to." he said with a laugh.


	2. Ragged Flagon

While traveling back to the city of Riften the two thieves had heard rumors that Thalmor agents had been seen in the territory so they made plans to stop and confirm them before going on to the city. When they had passed through Shor's Stone, a small town down the road from the city of Riften they had questioned the people on if they had seen the elves.  
"No, we haven't." the blacksmith said "Your friend is the first elf to pass this way. There are rumors that some Thalmor have gone to Ivarstead though."  
The two had exchanged a look before going back to the wagon to dismiss their carriage driver. He wished them well and turned his wagon back the way they had just come from, no doubt looking to get rid of the wagon he had 'borrowed'.  
Etienne and Deino started walking along the road the rest of the way to Riften. They walked in a comfortable silence for most of the way to the gates.  
During the ride their Etienne had questioned her about anything he needed to know about the changes to the Guild. She had explained almost everything he was curious about. How the brothel tied in with the guild business, how the new Guild Master had started to gain them a foot hold in the hold capitals again, and how the ratway populace was growing. They had a few merchants that had set up shop below but still had room for more to join.  
She told him that they had mostly the same members from when he had last been there though Koraliah now came around every so often.  
When they got into the city Etienne breathed a sigh of relief, he never thought it be possible to miss this city but after thinking he would die before getting to see it he was happy to be here. As they walked along the street heading towards the Temple of Mara he saw a few people glance their way and it was clear they were nervous. A lot of people in Riften recognized the Thieves Guild members on sight.  
Before they reached the Temple of Mara Deino stopped.  
"You coming?" Etienne asked looking back at her with a frown.  
"I have some business to take care of, I'll be by the Flagon later." Deino explained.  
"Buy you the first round?" Etienne asked smirking.  
"Deal." Deino nodded turning to walk towards Mercer's old house.  
Etienne watched her walk up to the street entrance to the old place and pull out a key entering the house. He knew that meant she had unsealed the door, he knew from the one time he had been there on business with Mercer that the street entrance had been nailed shut and barred by the man. Mercer had wanted one way in and one way out of his little home. It must have been easier to get customers to stop in if the doors were open to the street as well as the alley.  
Etienne walked around the Temple to the graveyard that sat at the back of the building, he knew it would be easier to go through the secret entrance then to use the ratway to get back to guild. Sometimes he prefered the longer walked through the tunnels but today he just wanted to be in the safety of the guild.  
When he entered the Cistern there were only a few people there, Sapphire and Niruin were there training on the archery dummies. They both greeted him warmly telling him they were glad to see he was well. The two went back to training while he continues on his way to the Flagon.  
When he entered the Thieves Guild bar he was greeted with a round of cheers from the rest of his guild. They welcomed him back with quick handshakes and a few back slaps as each one greeted him. When the crowd had died back down he noticed that Brynjolf was missing from the group and he didn't see a Khaljiit which meant the new Guild Master wasn't here either.  
He mentioned their absence, he didn't miss the sly grins that passed between Thrynn and Rune.  
"Khi'al is out on a job in Markarth won't be back for a few days yet." Delvin Mallory said from his seat at his favorite table. "Brynjolf stepped out just before you got back."  
"Where did he run off to?" Etienne asked frowning.  
"Probably to go see Deino." Vipir the Fleet said smirking. "Those two are pretty close."  
Etienne was surprised, he knew that Deino probably wouldn't have come out and said she was involved with anyone in the guild. He just never picked up any change in the way she talked about Brynjolf from the way she talked about anything else.  
"So those two are a thing huh?" Etienne asked.  
"Nothing confirmed." Delvin said shrugging. "Just a suspicion some of us have."  
"Why's that?"  
Delvin sighed rubbing his chin. "Just some odd behavior. Like today for instances, you two probably weren't even back in the gate when Bryn got up saying he had to go meet with Deino."  
"We didn't see him on the street." Etienne agreed.  
"See it's just odd is all."  
"How did they meet? She mentioned Brynjolf brought her here."  
Everyone in the Flagon went from chuckling and talking amongst themselves to being rather quiet.  
"We don't know." Vex said shrugging.  
"What?" Etienne asked frowning.  
"Brynjolf went out on a little job and when he came back she was with him." Vex explained "Never mentioned how they really met, he just took her to Khi'al and next thing we know she's working with the guild. Wasn't too long before she was set up running the Brothel for us."  
Etienne frowned, everyone in the guild knew the stories of how everyone else got into this life. No one really felt the need to keep things that secret around here, the only one who was usually tight lipped about it was Sapphire but once she trusted you she would open up. It was odd they didn't know much about Deino.  
"So she just doesn't talk about how she got here?" Etienne asked frowning. "I know she was a thief before she joined but she doesn't talk about how they met?"  
"No and it's not really even her." Rune explained. "Brynjolf is pretty closed on the subject."

Brynjolf sat behind the desk with his legs propped up on the surface and the chair reclined back onto it's back legs, the picture of relaxation. He had his arms behind his head and his eyes closed when he heard the door open, the door was quiet but he could could here the slight click of the turning knob. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was he could tell by the way the person walked that it was Deino.  
The steps were almost silent, she moved as if she were always ready to bolt and run at the first sign of trouble. He wondered if she was like this all the time when she moved or if it was only with him.  
"Hello lass, didn't scare you did I?' he asked peeking an eye open.  
She was across the room from him walking towards a small set of dresser drawers. This wasn't just an office after all it was also her home in the little basement.  
"You can't scare me Brynjolf." she said evenly.  
He smiled, she always had this melodic voice that could tilt towards more sultry tones but she was always so careful to keep her tone even around him.  
"I could if I really tried I'm sure." he said confidently.  
"I very much doubt it." she responded.  
"You wound my pride."  
"Grow thicker skin." she muttered pulling out some fresh clothes from the drawer.  
Brynjolf smiled and shook his head. "Alright lass, what's got you so grumpy. Your not usually this short tempered, it's usually at least an hour before I've pissed you off."  
Brynjolf lowered his chair to the floor and put his feet back on the ground, he leaned onto the desk frowning. Usually she was good natured but he could see how tense she was holding herself. Her shoulders were held stiffly, jaw working almost like she was chewing something over, and her face seemed drawn. She must be exhausted, he thought bitterly.  
"Didn't get much rest on the road did you?" he asked.  
"I'm fine."  
"I know you're fine lass but when's the last time ya slept?" he asked smirking.  
Deino turned her head to face him and gave a sigh. Brynjolf watched her hands go to her temples and start to massage the tension from her face.  
"Headaches?" Brynjolf asked frowning.  
"I'm f-"  
"Your not though."  
Deino sighed shaking her head walking over to the wash basin and the water pitcher.  
Brynjolf got to his feet slowly making his way to where she was standing with her back to him. He walked over to her side and leaned against the wall, he watched while she cleaned her face of the dust from the road.  
"Do you mind?" she asked frowning.  
"Not at all." Brynjolf said smirking.  
Deino looked up at him and he chuckled stepping away from the wood elf. She turned watching him walk away from her and he went to the door.  
"I'm going to step out, let me know when your done."  
"Just keep your back turned. What did you want Brynjolf?"  
"I have a job that I'm going to need your help coordinating." Brynjolf said focusing on the wall in front of him. "Another of Maven Black- Briar's old business partners have angered her and we have to get one of the contracts she signed with him back."  
He heard her sigh and the sound of something hitting the floor, he figured that she had removed the leather guild armor. He smirked fighting the urge to look back at the woman and he focused on the wall.  
"What will you need from me?"  
"A few of the girls, volunteers preferably. The men that will be at the party we're going to have to infiltrate I'm told are a bit boorish." Brynjolf said sighing.  
There was silence and he wondered if she had heard him.  
"You can turn back around."  
Brynjolf turned around to see her sitting at the desk a ledger open in front of her, he walked over to the desk sitting across from her. He waited in silence for a moment as she looked over the notes and the numbers, she occupied a position much like his own in the guild for the brothel.  
She frowned and rubbed her forehead tiredly "I'll ask the girls Bryn and get back to you. I have your assurances that no one will be hurt?"  
"The guild takes care of it's own, lass." Brynjolf said smiling.  
"I want your assurances Bryn, not the guilds." Deino said with a sigh.  
Brynjolf smiled and nodded his head "You have my word, Deino no harm will come to any of the girls."  
"Then I'm in. I won't make them go anywhere I wouldn't go."  
When she said that he smiled and nodded "Aye lass, don't worry I'll be there to have your back."  
Deino chuckled "I feel so much better."  
The two sat and chatted together for a little bit longer as the day wore on. As they talked Brynjolf noticed that Deino seemed a bit off and exhausted, she would rub at her temples slowly.  
"Are the headaches getting worse?" Brynjolf asked.  
Deino looked up at him with a sigh "No just more frequent."  
Brynjolf frowned and turned to look away from her "I'm sorry lass."  
Deino sighed and shook her head "Don't worry about it."  
"Is there anything I can do to help?"  
"That's nice of you Bryn but it's just having to practice keeping everything seperate in my mind."  
Brynjolf frowned and reached out closing her ledger "Come on lass let's get you a pint of ale, I bet you'll feel a bit more relaxed after a drink."  
"You know how to show a girl a good time don't you Bryn?"

Etienne was leaning against the bar of the Flagon drinking and laughing at the lewd joke Thrynn had just made about some Argonion Bard. He turned to look over at the sound of his guild mates calling out greetings, he saw Brynjolf and Deino were walking around the pool of water in the center of the Flagon. He saw that the woman was in blue lounge wear and that she looked at bit more haggard.  
"Deino!" he called hiccuping a little bit. "Come sit by me, I'll buy you a drink."  
Deino smiled and walked over to the man taking a seat beside him on a free stool. He saw Brynjolf was kind of standing by Delvin chatting with him but the man's eyes flicked up at the pair curiously, brows raised. He gave Delvin a nod and a smile turning to walk over to the bar where they were sitting.  
"Etienne, lad it's good to see you safely back at the Flagon." he said slapping his back. "Show our lovely Deino a good time tonight won't you?"  
"I'll show your lady a great time." Etienne said with a slight drunken laugh.  
"My lady?" Brynjolf laughed "You got it all wrong lad but I can explain that when your sober."  
Brynjolf gave the two a farewell before he started to make his way back to the Cistern.  
Etienne smiled at Deino as Vekel laid a tankard of ale in front of her, he handed the man his gold and then turned to focus on her. She took a long drink from the tankard before returning the smile.  
"I was wondering when you would turn up. Get that business taken care of?" Etienne asked.  
Deino frowned shaking her head "Not really my head's killing me to much to focus."  
"So you figured you'd get a few drinks to help ease your mind and then tackle the problem anew tomorrow right?"  
"Pretty much."  
"A woman after my own heart." Thrynn called from the other side of Etienne.  
The three laughed together and turned to drink the night away. At some point during the night they were joined by Vex and Delvin who were just as eager to drink. One of the merchants found his way over with a lute he kept in his stall, he played a few songs poorly before they suggested Deino take over.  
Etienne remembered vaguely she had mentioned being a traveling bard before settling in Riften with the guild. She played the strings well despite being a few pints in by the time they suggested she take a turn at the instrument, she did tell them she was far to drunk to sing. He was fairly drunk during the performance but he was sure she had musical talent, again he wondered vaguely why she would settle for being in Riften instead of continuing her travels.  
That was the parts of the night he could remember.  
When Etienne awoke he was in the cistern laying on one of the beds. Everything felt horrible. His head was pounding, his mouth felt like someone had stuffed cotton in it, the bed itself felt uncomfortable, and he wanted to throw up. He let out a groan putting his hands over his eyes against what light there was in the cistern, it wasn't much but it was enough to add to all of his hangover problems. Part of him regretted drinking at all the night before and the other part just wished that the drinking had killed him so he didn't have to deal with the hangover.  
"Good morning Etienne." came the somewhat familiar sultry voice.  
He lifted his hands off of his eyes to see the wood elf standing by his bed smirking.  
"What in oblivion's name do you want this early in the morning?" he grumbled.  
She smirked "Early? Etienne it's well past noon but don't worry your not the only one having trouble rolling out of bed today."  
"Let me die in peace." he moaned rolling onto his side facing away from her.  
"I would but I can't, you have a job. Or more importantly we have a job, don't worry though it's not too far away."  
"Where?" he moaned.  
"Whiterun."  
He sighed "Five more minutes."  
He heard her chuckle then there was the sound of something clinking behind him, rolling over he saw her pull a potion vial from her satchel. He squinted at it and saw it was some potion from the local shop.  
"What's that?" he grunted.  
"Recovery potion thought you might need it this morning."  
"You wouldn't happen to have one in that bag for me would you lass?"  
Etienne sat up slowly taking the potion as he watched Brynjolf walking towards the two. The man looked like he felt just as bad if nit worse then Etienne did, funny he didn't remember him sticking around for drinks.  
Deino turned to him with a smile and she looked him over slowly "I don't know Bryn...."  
"Damn it lass if this about two weeks ago I've already said sorry. What more do you want from me?" he whispered.  
She gave a soft chuckle but dug another bottle out of the bag offering it to the man. Brynjolf took the potion and chugged it down quickly, no doubt avoiding the taste of the medicine. Etienne for his part was sipping on his bottle slowly so as not to get the immediate overpowering rush that sometimes accompanied these potions.  
Brynjolf shook his head a bit and set the empty potion bottle on one of the nearby bedside tables.  
"Did you get the details of you assignments?" Brynjolf asked turning to Etienne.  
"I was just about to fill him in on the details." Deino said smiling. "Needed to get him on his feet first."  
"Alright." Brynjolf said nodding. "Be careful out there you two, wouldn't want to lose anymore people."  
"Anymore?" Etienne asked frowning.  
"Oh, sorry lad after we lost you we just kinda got used to telling everyone that. Slight slip of the tongue." he assured them. "Take care."  
Byrnjolf turned heading back across the cistern leaving the two to discuss the little job they had been given.  
Etienne looked up at Deino with raised brows and she shrugged her shoulders.  
"Shall we hit the road and I'll tell you on the way?" she asked.  
Etienne tilted the remainder of the potion back downing it. His head was already starting to get a little bit of relief, enough to be bareable but he still had a very dry mouth. He would be chugging water the rest of the day just to get to feeling normal again he was sure.  
"Yeah might as well." he grumbled.  
Etienne grabbed his gear and the two made their way out of the secret entrance to the cistern out onto the streets of Riften. They walked out from the graveyard around to market place, which was crowded for this time of day.  
Etienne noticed Mjoll on the other side of the street watching them as they walked by. He frowned, she hated the thieves guild with a passion bordering on insane in his opinion so she always made him uncomfortable. He wondered what was going through her head as she watched the two leave.


	3. Three of a Kind

Etienne and Deino arrived in the hold of Whiterun in the middle of the night with the two of them walking to the Bannered Mare where they intended to stay the night. They walked into the little tavern knowing it was more for the residents to have a place to drink then for anyone to have a place to sleep.  
When Etienne spoke to the bartender asking about rooms she told him they only had one available for the night and she would be happy to show them to it. He paid and waved Deino over to join them as she lead them up the stairs to the only room left available. When she opened the doors stepping aside she gave them a knowing smile before closing the door behind them, her footsteps fading back down the stairs.  
Etienne snorted looking at the double bed "I'm so tired I don't even care everyone thinks we're going to be sleeping together."  
"I'm so tired." Deino muttered collapsing onto one side of the bed.  
He frowned "You're going to get mud all over the damn bed with those boots still on."  
She lifted her hand making a rude gesture before snuggling her face back into the pillow. She made no attempt to remove the muddy boots she was wearing.  
Shaking his head Etienne grabbed the boots and started to try removing them from her feet, she jerked her feet away with a squeak.  
"Leave those alone." she yelped.  
"Then take them off!" he snapped "I'm not sleeping in a muddy bed."  
Deino grumbled under her breath as she rolled over onto her back to start pulling off her boots and tossing them to the side. She gave him a look before rolling back onto her stomach and laying down in the bed.  
Etienne knew they had agreed to hit Dragonsreach in the morning when they had gotten enough rest from their travel. He watched the woman laying on the bed and decided he would go do a little checking around. Etienne told Deino as much and he saw her give a slight wave of her hand as she laid on the bed. He wanted to get the layout of the Jarl's home to figure out were their target was located.  
He paused on his way out the door "Deino."  
She rolled over in the bed to look at him "Yeah?"  
"What are we here for anyway?"  
"A few different things." she said softly. "Ever heard of the stones of Barenziah?"  
Etienne frowned "That pipe dream? Why would the guild send us after those?"  
"We have the location of all of the gems now." she said softly.  
Etienne hesitated before giving a scoff "First I'm hearing of this."  
She gave a hum and rolled back over in the bed sleeping.  
Etienne nudged her foot "How many are here?"  
Deino rolled over and sighed "Three. One in the Jarl's quarters, one in the Hall of the Dead, and the leader of the Companions has one. I was going to suggest we wait and get started tomorrow but since I'm not going to get any sleep like this we might as well get started."  
Etienne smirked as she rolled over onto her back and she sat up in the bed. He watched as she swung out of the bed yanking on her mud covered boots again, giving him a look. He smirked at her and she tilted her head her eyes amused despite the scolding tone she had taken with him.  
"I'm sure Brynjolf would feel better if we got home sooner." Etienne said smirking.  
"Oh, why's that?" Deino asked lacing up the boots.  
Etienne gave her a knowing look with raised brows and she rolled her eyes at him.  
"I'd try to explain what exactly was wrong with that statement but what's the point." Deino sighed standing.  
She was on her feet facing him and when she stepped forward he didn't back away, he extended his arm towards the door with a smile.  
"After you malady." he purred.  
Deino rolled her eyes stepping forward "I think I'll try to get the one from the Hall of the Dead, you go to the Companions."  
"No problem."

Brynjolf had paid off one of his friends in Markarth that had been involved in the construction of the house that Maven wanted the guild to break into. He had gotten the man to give him a copy of the plans for the house so they could figure out the best plan for getting into the man's safe. He would be keeping the contract in the safe, if he knew about Maven's connections with the guild then he would be on guard for the theft.  
He went over the list of girls that had volunteered for the job after Deino had posted a message for them on the board. He had three volunteers from the older of the girls and they had been reassured by the fact that their boss was going to be present in the house with them. There was something about the wood elf that seemed to inspire courage among the women in the brothel.  
Brynjolf was worrying over the best ways to get into the house and had about decided to give the papers over to Vex, she was their master infiltrator after all. If she couldn't find a sneaky way into the safe then there probably wasn't a subtle one to get there, he would just have to let her figure it out for him. Rolling the paper up slowly he stood from his chair stretching with a yawn, he was exhausted.  
He didn't feel like he had been working that long but the longer he had been sitting there had been a battle to keep his eyelids open.  
Brynjolf left the desk in the cistern and made his way into the Flagon with the papers. When he stepped into the little bar he saw that not only were the regulars there but Khi'al had returned while he had been working.  
The Khaljiit had been the leader for a short time but he had fit right in almost instantly with the guild. Brynjolf had been the one to pick him out off of the street, he had the look of a thief right from the start his yellow eyes always darting around, sizing up those around him. Brynjolf had approached him and they had been fast friends after he had joined the guild, when he had exposed Mercer it had sealed his place in the family.  
Khi'al looked up his ears perking up when he turned his head towards Brynjolf.  
"Ahh Bryn, it is good to see you." he said his voice hissing with the accent of all of his people.  
"Khi'al good to see you as well. How faired your mission?"  
"Quite well. I think we will be able to move a lot more goods through Skyrim now with the caravans on our side." he said nodding.  
Brynjolf smiled "Good we needed that deal. I have another one that may interest you, from Maven."  
The man gave a sigh "That woman is always planning something, it's freightening."  
Brynjolf agreed and they sat down at one of the tables to discuss what Maven wanted from the guild this time and the Khaljiit listened in fascination. When he had finished telling him about the job he nodded and told him whatever he needed then he could use it, all of the guild resources were his for the taking.  
The Khaljiit looked away from him towards Sapphire who had just come from the cistern.  
"I heard you were back." She said smiling at him.  
"I would never be away for very long." Khi'al promised.  
Brynjolf watched the two walk away and he stood returning to his little mission. He still had to give these plans over to Vex and see who he might bring with him from the guild to aid in the job. He had a few ideas but he wanted to see how things went on a few of their missions they were running now.  
Once he had dropped off the plans for the break in with Vex he returned to the cistern to look over the books once more before he turned in for the night.  
He noticed Khi'al and Sapphire were sitting together by the pool of water chatting quietly together. They had gotten to know one another fairly well after the man had joined the guild and he had been one of the only people she had told about her past. He didn't know if she had shared her true name with him yet but he was certain they were getting there together. They looked so cozy together and he wondered if there would be happy announcements from the two eventually.

Etienne had gone into the hall of the Companions when it was almost silent from the warriors having retired for the night. He had slipped through the door into the mead hall and noted, as he moved through the shadows, that the old women were the only ones still awake. He ignored them and they mostly missed seeing him for the shadows were deep and their eyes weren't what they used to be.  
He slipped down the stairs and opened the double doors into the darkened hall of the bunks of Jarrvaskr. He could hear a little bit of snoring echoing in the silents halls and he walked slowly towards the end of the hall.  
He had been told by Deino that sources said the Harbinger of the Guild possessed one of the stones and kept it in his bedchamber with him. He had asked around to one of the drunker nord males that was a member where exactly he could find the room, it hadn't been hard to convince him to tell him. All he had to offer was mead and the man talked for as long as Etienne had questions, though he didn't linger longer than necessary.  
When he walked past the two shorter hallways - the rooms for the other members of the Companions- he paused as he heard a noise coming from one of the rooms. He stayed on tiptoes but moved quickly to the double doors on the end that weren't quite closed, he slipped inside as two figures came from one of the halls.  
One of the figures stopped and he could just make out a nord woman it revealing green clothing, she had some kind of face paint on her. She looked his way and sniffed the air, just like he had seen animals do. She took a step his way her jaw setting as she moved that way.  
"Aela come on." the second figure hissed.  
A man in steel and wolf furred armor. He was an older man and balding from what Etienne could see.  
"If we don't leave now the old man might catch us or worse yet one of the whelps." he said quietly.  
The woman hesitated her eyes starring towards the door suspiciously but finally she sighed turning away from the door.  
"You're right let's go." she said following him.  
The two moved quickly down the hall, almost as silently as he had moved. He wondered what that was all about briefly before he closed the door quietly turning back to his job.  
The room he found himself in was a little office room that was dimly lit by a single candle left burning on the desk. He looked around the room and saw a few things of worth he decided to slip into his bag, no mystical stone though. He slipped a coin purse into his bag and what appeared to be a daedra heart into the bag with a smile. He could find some use for the item he was sure.  
Then he turned to the only other answer for where the stone could be. A set of double doors that were closed, he stepped forward opening them slowly peering inside. The room was dark and he could see anything inside so he opened the door a bit more letting in some light, just hoping if anyone was inside that it wouldn't wake them. With the new light in the room he could see a figure laying on the bed.  
It was an older man with long white hair, a white beard, and from what he could see there was a face tattoo of some kind. The man was muttering in his sleep, sweat covering his face as if he was having some horrid dream.  
If that was the case then he could wake up at anytime.  
Etienne entered the room and using what little light was shining through the door her looked for the stone. It didn't take long to spot it. The gem was sitting in a gold plated box with red velvet cushion supporting the gem itself or it would if the gem didn't float a bit above the velvet. The gem was a red color with no blemish on it's surfaces, it was a perfect gem.  
Etienne glanced towards the bed and stepped forward quickly putting his hand on the stone. He carefully closed the box letting the stone rest on the velvet and he put it quickly into his bag. He didn't want to linger so with a quick turn he started for the door.  
"Zuri." the old man called suddenly.  
Etienne froze, the old man must have woke up and be calling for aid. He should run.  
"Zuri.... the beast." the old man moaned softly.  
Etienne looked to the bed and saw the man flip over onto his other side, he was still asleeping. The dreams causing him to cry out in his sleep. He hadn't been found out yet.  
Moving on silent tiptoes. Etienne reached the door again and slipped back out into his office closing the door behind him. He let out a slight breath and then turned to leave the office, there was still a house full of warriors he needed to get through.

When Etienne walked to the Gildergreen where they had agreed to meet he found Deino already there. She had one hand resting on the tree while the other played with a charm around her neck. She was starring up into the branches of the tree, her lips moving quickly but he couldn't hear any of the words.  
He stood back not wishing to interrupt her.  
When she had finished her whispers she pulled back her hand and looked down, her eyes finding him almost instantly.  
"I didn't want to intrude." he said softly. "It looked like you were praying."  
"Something like that." she said shrugging. "Did you get it?"  
"Yeah and a few other things we might could use." he said nodding. "You?"  
"Some of the dead had gold on them but other than that just the stone." she whispered.  
Etienne nodded his head slowly "The priest didn't give you any trouble?"  
"No but the walking skeletons didn't like me very much." she muttered. "And since your standing here with me I suppose the Companions didn't see you."  
"One of them acted like she could sense I was there."  
Deino gave a hum "Yeah there are rumors about them..."  
She didn't say anything more and Etienne didn't feel like pressing the issue, he didn't want to know if he had come close to death again.  
"So now Dragonsreach then?" Etienne sighed.  
Deino nodded with a huge smile "Yep. Lucky for us the hall itself isn't closed to the public in case of attacks so we can get inside. It's the private quarters that will take some work to get into."  
"Do you have a plan?" he asked frowning.  
"I'm working on one as we speak but I have an idea on how to get out if it gets rough."  
Etienne didn't like the sounds of that one bit but he followed her with a sigh.

"Guards!" the Jarl roared again as he sprang from his bed.  
He was already reaching around for a sword in the darkened room before he even tried to get a light going. The two thieves exited his room quickly and came out into the hall as guards from down the stairs started up and his housecarl exited her quarters across from the jarl. The only exit was a door to their left, Deino knew it lead to a balcony.  
She grabbed Etienne's arm jerking him with her as she heard the Dark Elf woman yell, he sword making a noise as it cleared it's sheath. Deino hit the door running flinging them open so hard they started to slam shut on their pursuers, she pulled him along with her down the balcony stairs.  
She knew their was no traditional exit here but as they ran to the end of the balcony she knew they had no choice.  
"Shit." Etienne yelled when he realized what she was doing.  
"Jump." she panted.  
Deino hit the rail first lifting to where one foot touched the rail and the other was out infront of her to catch the sloped roof. She could feel, more than risk turning to see, Etienne behind her mimicking her movements. When she hit the sloped roof with the slick tiles she rolled letting the angle carry her down towards the edge of the roof.  
"Archers!" the Dark Elf woman yelled.  
Deino reached the edge and grabbed onto it with one hand stopping her sudden drop. She saw Etienne do the same before he swung to another portion of the roof that would get them closer to the ground. She turned her body and pushed off with her feet on the wall to follow him. She landed as three iron arrows bit into the roof beside her just barely missing their mark, she took off running following Etienne.  
If they could get a little further than they would be out of reach of the archers, but as they ran they could see guards with torches running up from the city towards the building. They had no doubt been alerted to come aid in the capture of the thieves.  
Etienne turned the side of the building and pointed to where they could climb down. They were mostly hidden in shadows when they got to the ground but they could still hear guards yelling all around them.  
"What now?" Etienne demanded.  
Deino took a moment to catch her breath and then she gave him a smile.  
"Race you to the stables?" she asked.  
"Did you have horses waiting?"  
"No..."  
Etienne frowned "I'll have mine stolen before you can get yours."  
"Your on."  
The two broke cover running along the wall climbing over it to take the uncut stone down towards the rest of the city instead of the well lit stairs. They heard when a guard pointed them out but knew that he was just a little to far to stop them. They made it to the streets and turned taking the shortest way to the gates of the city. The guards at the gates rushed to try to slow their escape but they were a little too slow.


	4. Ansilvund

When the two thieves got to the small town of Ivarstead for a break in their traveling. They had turned the stolen horses loose once they were out of the area that the guards patroled for the city. They had continued on foot from there talking together over their success.  
When they got to the city they walked up into the inn sitting at a table towards the back of the building. A barmaid walked over and asked what they would like.  
"Two meads and some food would go a long way." Etienne said giving the woman a crooked smile.  
She blushed then glanced at Deino before going to the bar.  
"I think she likes you." Deino said with a smile.  
Etienne grunted and looked at the table "Nah. She's just interested in getting a bit more coin from a customer, if she thinks you're with me then she'll leave us alone."  
The barmaid returned with a tray filled with two tankards of mead, a plate of roasted goat's leg, and a small wooden bowl of buttered bread. She took everything off of the tray and placed it in front of the two giving Etienne a wink before she turned to go serve someone else.  
"This looks delicious." Deino said picking at the roasted meat.  
They started pulling apart some of the meat and bread chewing quietly. They people watched while they were eating the food and they quietly commented on the people that came through the inn.  
They saw a young girl come to visit a red headed young man who was sitting at the fireplace warming himself and while she was there an older nord man came into the inn to see her. He seemed oblivious to the fact the red headed man and the girl were infatuated with each other because he was infatuated with the girl. While they watched the three chatting together a man came in calling to the girl, scolding her for ditching her chores.  
The two thieves chuckled as the girl whined much like a child then a young woman and then the girl left the inn with her father.  
"Do you think we should get some rooms and rest?" she asked looking at Etienne.  
"I'm surprised you're not more in a hurry to get back to Riften." Etienne said looking into his glass.  
"Why would I be?"  
"Don't you want to see Brynjolf?"  
Deino sighed shaking her head "I and Brynjolf aren't together. He and I are just friends that's it!"  
Etienne frowned looking over at the Wood Elf woman.  
"You have to admit, you two are so close that it's not hard for people to come to that conclusion."  
"True and I know Brynjolf doesn't really try to convince people otherwise either."  
"So what's the real story?"  
Deino frowned and looked away from Etienne.  
"I can't say, it has to come from Bryn." she said softly.  
Etienne's brow raised questioningly and she looked away from him again. Once the two finished eating the two walked over to the bar asking about any rooms available. The bartender gave the two a knowing look and said he had only one room left in the place, he pointed them to a room with the door propped open. When they leaned forward to look into the room they saw the room had a double bed instead of two singles.  
"You've got to be kidding me." Etienne grunted.  
Deino snorted "I'm so tired that I don't even care anymore, let's take it."  
"You can't be serious?" Etienne hissed looking at her.  
"If you had let me sleep back in Whiterun we wouldn't be this tired." she said with a smirk then to the bartender. "We'll take it thanks."  
The bartender handed her a key and when she had started for the room he gave Etienne a wink which the man tried to ignore.  
When they were in the room Etienne closed the door behind them slidding the lock into place and then he turned to the bed. Deino was removing her boots and when she noticed him watching her she raised her brows curiously at him.  
"Which side of the bed do you want?"  
"The one by the wall." she said putting the boots under the bed.  
She slid into the bed turning to face the wall with a yawn.  
Etienne followed her example and tucked himself into the bed beside her facing the open room instead of her back. As he got settled he reached out to extinguish the candles on the bed side table. Once the room was dark he felt himself start to settle in place, his body relaxing. Within moments he was drifting off to sleep with no issue.

When Etienne started to wake up - a dim light coming in under the door- he realized that he was in a different position from the one he'd fallen asleep in. It wasn't that unusual but it wasn't common for him to find a woman drapped over him.  
He looked down at Deino who was cuddled up against his side, her head laying on his shoulder, one arm draped over his torso, and one leg thrown over one of his legs. She was breathing steadily still sleeping soundly on his shoulders, he sat very still unsure what he should do just yet. He didn't want to wake her but at the same time he was worried what she would think if she woke up to him already awake just watching her.  
He looked down at the woman and he tilted his head slightly. She looked very peaceful and relaxed then he had ever seen her look, she always looked so stern when she was awake.  
With the hand that wasn't underneath him, Etienne pushed her hair back gently. She stirred slightly at the touch and he pulled his hand back as she resettled against him. She let out a slight sigh as she got comfortable again and she tightened her grip around his waist pulling herself closer to him.  
Her body was flush against his and he shifted then feeling his face turning red now. He hoped she would wake up soon.

Brynjolf finally heard back from Vex on the best way to get into the room with the safe and what she recommended that they use a distraction with so many people nearby. They didn't want to be caught in a compromising position since they weren't supposed to kill the man just ruin him. Brynjolf agreed with her assessment and said he would get on it with the help of the others.  
Brynjolf had left then going back to the brothel, while Deino was away he was having to keep up with the books for them. He would go through the figures giving the girls their cuts, the guild it's cut, and then paying the bodyguards that they employed to watch the place. With a member of the guild being the ones responsible for the books it kept them from scamming them out of their sut of the profits.  
While he was working the books he received a knock on the door and he glanced up calling for the knocker to enter.  
Maven Black- Briar stepped into the office and Brynjolf stood up quickly, she tossed a parcel of papers onto the desk with a scoff.  
"That's the final information on the party Sibbi got it a few days ago before his unfortunate arrest." she said with a dramatic sigh. "But don't worry I had the invitations altered under your name so that you'll get by the guards."  
Brynjolf nodded picking up the papers checking them over and he gave a whistle at the detail of the work on the invitations. They were professionally done and as he stared at it he was certain that they had been done by the Cyrodiil chapter of the Thieves Guild. They were more into the finer tuned criminal enterprises like forgery, exportation of goods, low key smuggling, and skooma dealing on occasion.  
He tried to remember the last time he had spoken to the leader of the Cyrodiil chapter, he made a mental note to inform Khi'al they needed to make a trip to visit the man.  
"We're almost fully prepared to infiltrate the house and the party. It's really just the waiting game now." Brynjolf said rubbing his chin.  
Maven nodded "Good so long as you remember our agreement."  
Brynjolf nodded his head "Of course."  
Maven gave him a nod and she turned walking for the door "Remember I want him ruined."  
Brynjolf watched Maven leave as she pulled the door closed behind her, he frowned walking over to the door listening for the sounds of her walking away. Maven made a point to avoid going to people for anything, she was a woman that wanted people to come to her when she summoned them. He found it quite odd that she had made the trip there just to drop off the papers instread of having him come to her.  
Brynjolf decided he would take a much closer look at the papers she had brought. Maybe he had missed something from his first glance at the papers.

Deino woke up slowly and when she opened her eyes she was facing the room, where a single candle was lit to cast the room in a dim light. She looked around quickly noticing she was in the room alone, she stretched as she sat up and let out a sigh.  
She had gotten some of the best sleep that she had in weeks and that was a relief since they still had some traveling to do to get back to Riften. With a frown she reached for the bag they had been carrying the stones in and opened it to check for the stones, all three were still where they had left them.  
These three stones were some of the last ones they had to collect for the crown and as she looked at them it made her smile. They would have the full set before the month was out, it would be one of the finest achievements the guild had under their belt.  
The door to the room opened and Deino looked up as Etienne stepped into the room carrying a plate in his hand. He smiled when he saw she was awake and set the plate down on the table for her, she smiled when she saw that he had brought a plate of meat. Roasted chicken breast, salmon, and what looked like steamed crab legs. He reached out to take a pinch of the chicken as she gave him a smile.  
"Thanks."  
"You're welcome. Want to get started after you finish eating?"  
"Sounds like a good idea, don't want to keep everyone waiting."

When they returned to Riften, Deino tossed the bag to Etienne and he gave her a nod as she made her way to the brothel. He knew that he would see her later on that evening at the Flagon.  
Etienne made his way to the Flagon and was surprised to see Brynjolf sitting at the bar sipping at a bottle of Black -Briar Mead. Etienne handed the bag of gems over to be put away into the vault and he walked over to sit down beside Brynjolf.  
Vekel placed a tankard of ale in front of him before handing Brynjolf another bottle of mead.  
"You alright?" Etienne asked raising his brows at the man.  
"What lad? Oh, yes I'm fine."  
"You know Deino is back at the brothel?"  
"Mmmm yes I figured she'd head there first." Brynjolf said thoughtfully. "I may go by in a bit to see her. Need to ask her help with one last job before the Black- Briar job."  
"I'm sure she'd be up for it."  
"Would you be willing to offer your services as well lad?"  
"What's the job?" Etienne asked smiling.  
"It's the last of he stones we need for that Barenziah crown."  
Etienne told him he'd be happy to tag along and offer his services. Brynjolf told him he had heard some nasty little rumors about the place they would be traveling too and that they would be going prepared for trouble. Etienne knew a few people he could get some gear from for the journey.  
While they sat discussing the impending trip and the Black- Briar job they were getting closer to undertaking Etienne noted Brynjolf kept rubbing at his chest as if something pained him.  
"You alright?" he asked frowning.  
"Old wounds acting up."  
"Interesting story to go with it?"  
"Aye lad." he sighed. "It's actually got a lot to do with our little Deino."  
"I've been wondering about that actually."  
"I think everyone has been."  
"They'd rather make assumptions about the truth then actually ask."  
The two men exchanged smiles and Brynjolf shook his head with a laugh.  
"Yes our little guild is a hot spot of rumors lately isn't it?"  
Etienne gave a chuckle nodding his head in agreement.  
"Well I guess I can set it straight a bit."

Brynjolf slipped into the little tomb and wasn't completely surprised to find it wasn't as silent as it should have been. The draugr were becoming a larger problem in Skyrim then most people gave them credit for, the last few crepts the guild had raided had been full of them. Some of them hadn't really seemed to have an obvious source for their new life while others had been the work of Necromancers practicing their craft.  
He hadn't gone far into the crypt when he came across his first summoner, some nord woman complaining of having to babysit the walking corpses. She sighed looking at the corpses and turned away from the entrance.  
Since he had been going into tombs a lot lately he had com prepared for the draugr and whatever he found inside the tomb with them. Brynjolf pulled an ebony sword from his hip into his right hand and an ebony dagger into the other hand, he wasn't one for spell work.  
When the summoner and the draugr seemed to be on their way into the other room he moved forward to get the one closest to him. The draugr weren't very resilient and he was able to take it's head off in one hard swing, it's body falling forward in a large heap onto the stone floor. The summoner and the other draugr turned in shock, the draugr pulled back a bow stepping to the side as he took cover behind a large burial urn.  
The clanged loudly as it hit the urn but was deflected landing on the floor.  
While the draugr reached for another arrow Brynjolf darted out from behind the urn charging the summoner who had thrown up a ward spell, expecting a magic attack no doubt. The ward spell was ineffective to a physical strike and as he moved closer he felt the chill as she readied an ice spell. He drove his sword into the center of her chest as the ice spike shot by him in her panic, theblade going clean through out of her back.  
Brynjolf released his hold on the blade as he rolled away from her, the draugr releasing another arrow. The arrow hit the woman's corpse as she fell.  
Brynjolf turned and ran for the draugr with his dagger as his only weapon remaining. The draugr was quick to drop it's bow and draw an iron dagger from it's belt to fight in close combat with. The two traded blows with their daggers and Brynjolf pressed the assault disarming the undead creature. Brynjolf stabbed the draugr repeatedly until the blue glow of it's eyes faded to nothing but the empty sockets.  
He let the draugr fall and then turned to retrieve his ebony sword from them woman's corpse. He shook the blood from the blade before slipping it back into it's sheath.  
Then he continued on his way towards the main chamber, when he got to the room just outside the main chamber he found there was a puzzle that had been reset. He looked around the room checking for the answer, usually the answers were simple enough on the old nord puzzles. He had found Dwemer and Snow Elf puzzles that had been harder than these nord puzzles. They didn't apply themselves as much as the elven races, Brynjolf decided.  
He found a note among one of the skeletons that were dead around the pillars with the carvings of animals. He read through the note and mulled over the puzzle before he walked around the room pulling the levers. There was an audible click and the sound of stone slidding against stone with a loud deafening sound.  
That did away with any stealth he had been planning, anyone below would hear the noise and know that someone was coming in.  
Brynjolf hefted his two blades and set off into the crypt, crouching low to the ground to make himself a smaller target.   
As he made his way further he came to a large chamber. There were two stone sarcophagi against the opposite wall with a stone altar like table between the two and then there was a wooden door on the farthest wall from them. On the table he saw a red leather bound book sitting on the surface and beside it was what he had come for.  
The stone of Barenziah.  
Brynjolf made his way over to the stone coffin looking around the room for any more draugr but he didn't see anymore. It had him a bit suspicious when he didn't see anymore summoners or necromancers in the chamber either.  
When he reached the stone table he picked up the gem first putting it into his bag then he turned his attention to the leather journal. He flipped through the pages skimming over the details of the book when he heard yelling from behind the wooden door on the other side of the room.  
The door burst open with a Wood Elf woman toppling out of the door a shard of ice barely missing her as she rolled away. A second woman exited the room pursuing the other woman her magic already at the ready, she froze in the doorway her eyes going between the two. Brynjolf and the Wood Elf woman exchanged a look before turning their eyes back to the necromancer.  
"Can I get no peace?!" she shrieked. "No matter, I'll add you both to my army."  
The woman hurled ice spikes at Brynjolf and he dropped the book dodged to the side. The hand that wasn't being used for the ice magic started to glow a dark purple the energy spreading towards the two coffins.  
"She's raising the draugr!" the Wood Elf yelled to Brynjolf. "We need to kill her."  
Brynjolf saw the Wood Elf pull a dagger off of her belt and she darted for the woman. Brynjolf was about the join her in the attack when the first coffin's lid suddenly brust forward landing in the floor in front of him. He looked up to see a female draugr coming out of the coffin with an ancient nordic blade in her hand. Behind him the other coffin lid fell to the floor and he saw an axe weilding male draugr coming out of the coffin.  
Brynjolf moved towards the center of the chamber as the female draugr charged him swinging her sword at him. He lifted his ebony sword blocking the blow which pushed him backwards a bit, he was surprised by the strength she had behind her swing. He took his dagger and hurled it at the charging male draugr impaling it in it's chest causing it to stumble slightly.  
The woman pulled back her sword for a second swing and Brynjolf kept backing away as the woman pressed her advantage. He ddin't get the chance to give an attack of his own as the draugr pressed him always backwards.  
The male draugr swung his axe at Brynjolf and he jumped backwards falling onto his back as he stumbled. He saw the draugr come forward axe hefted high and aimed right at him.  
He lifted his sword to block the attack but the force the draugr put behind the swing was greater than he could defend from on his back. He kept the blade from embedding itself in his chest but the blade of the axe cut into his armor, he felt the blade cut into his chest. He felt blood starting to seep from the wound and he pushed against the blade trying to keep the wound from getting worse.  
The draugr yanked his weapon back taking a step back as the female draugr charged in stabbing her sword at him in a forceful attack.  
Brynjolf rolled and noted the blood trail he had left on the ground, he knew that meant the wound was deeper than he thought. He could feel the blood seeping out beneath his armor and spreading. It was nothing he wouldn't be able to heal once he had gotten out of this.  
There was a loud scream from the other side of the chamber and Brynjolf turned to look for the sound. He hadn't been paying attention to the two fighting women he had been too focused on keeping the draugr from killing him. He saw that the Wood Elf woman had beaten the summoner and the woman had been the one to scream. She dropped the woman's body as the magic she had been using faded from her hands.  
Brynjolf turned back to the draugr half expecting them to fall since the necromancer was dead. They didn't fall dead like he had hoped instead they pressed the attack.  
The female draugr went away from the fight between them to go after the Wood Elf since her attention had been brought to them. She seemed to forget about Brynjolf now that she had seen the woman.  
Brynjolf was quickly pulled back into focusing on his own battle as the axe weilder came towards him. He kept bringing his ebony sword up to block the blows though each blow sapped his energy. He was growing so tired that soon he wasn't able to lift his sword until the very last second, his arms shaking so much from the exhaustion. He put his sword up to block another blow but this time his sword wasn't able to keep the blow blocked off.  
The axe knocked his blade from his hand progressed to hit him in the chest.  
The blade bit down into his chest, his ravaged armor not keeping any of the blow from striking him. The blow knocked his breath away and Brynjolf was left breathless as he looked down in shock at the blade. He was so weak that he knew the only thing holding him up was axe in his chest being held by the draugr.  
The draugr gave the axe a violent shake and Brynjolf fell backwards in a heap. He laid on his back gasping for breath, unable to move. He could feel blood starting to pool under him already, he was sure he was losing feeling in his hands and feet with that feeling spreading. As he gasped for air he started to cough violently, he could taste blood.  
Brynjolf could feel his eyes growing heavy, he didn't see the draugr he didn't know where they had gone. He closed his eyes slowly taking another gasping breath, he just needed to rest...

"So your telling me she kept you from dying?" Etienne asked sounding unsure.  
"Never said she stopped it lad."

Brynjolf laid in darkness for what felt like a really long time. He couldn't hear anything, he couldn't open his eyes, and as he laid there all he felt was this chill settling over him. He couldn't move his body not even his fingertips and he realized he wasn't breathing. Was he dead? As Brynjolf thought about that he felt a slight sense of dread settle over him.  
He had taken Nocturnal's Oath, shouldn't he have been pulled to her plain of Oblivion to protect her Sepulcher? As he thought about that he felt a burning sensation spread over his chest and the burning started to spread through his body. He had never felt such a pain and as it continued to spread he gave a sudden gasp, his lungs filling with air again. He was able to breath but now that he was feeling everything he realized that he could hear a voice.  
He didn't understand what was being said but it was a female voice chanting something. He could feel a hand laying over his chest and he knew that she was touching him, that was where the burning came from. Something she was doing, some form of magic she was using. He knew it was not the regular healing magics he had been used too, he had experienced that before and it was nothing like this.  
The voice grew clearer but he still couldn't understand the words.  
Brynjolf felt the burning start to fade and his breathing grew more natural, his hands clenched into fists slowly. Then he started to slowly open his eyes, he was starring up at a starlit sky and one of the moons hanging over him. The moon was full and bright.  
He could feel a fire burning nearby him.  
"You're awake." he heard her voice say softly.  
Brynjolf turned his head slowly and saw the woman was laying on a bed roll a small distance from him.  
"Wha- wha?" he asked his voice hoarse and sending him into a coughing fit.  
"What happened?" she asked sitting up reaching for a bottle of wine. "You..... died."  
She put a hand underneath his head tilting it up to where he was sitting up and then she pressed the mouth of the bottle to his lips. He swallowed mouthful after mouthful of the wine until she was tossing the empty bottle to the side.  
"You healed me?" he asked weakly.  
Brynjolf frowned slightly as she avoided his eyes.  
"No." she said softly. "You died there's no healing that."  
"But I'm not... I mean..." he began then he struggled to sit up.  
Her hands steadied him as he sat up and he quickly got to his feet, though he was shaking as he looked down at his chest. He pulled the torn armor aside and looked at the puckered red scars where the axe had hit him, it was as if he had received them weeks ago. He looked at her where she was sitting and he frowned noticing her bandaged hands, blood soaked through in places.  
"How?" he whispered. "I'm dead aren't I?"  
She looked up at him and gave him a sad smile "How isn't important right now. but yes. You died but so long as I'm alive you'll be fine, you won't notice anything different."  
Brynjolf slowly sat back down his eyes cast towards the fire in shock.  
"How do I know you're telling me the truth? You could be lying."  
The Wood Elf pulled her dagger off of her belt and grabbed his hand jerking it towards her roughly. She pulled the blade over the pad of his hand just below his thumb, it was a small cut and he didn't feel it. As he watched the cut slowly sealed itself and he saw her wince in pain. She showed him her own hand.  
A similiar cut slowly opening on her hand while he watched, blood seeping from the wound.  
"I wouldn't lie about doing this to myself." she grumbled.  
For the rest of the night the two sat by the fire recovering from the battle and the dark ritual that she had performed to save his life. He questioned her about the ritual and he learned what his new life would be like from then on.  
They could feel each others emotions, it would take time to master but it was possible. He would share he lifespan -which for elves was centuries- and so long as she lived he would. They would age at the same rate with Brynjolf looking just as young as she did until she started to age. They would share wounds to where what would usually be life threatening would heal in a shorter amount of time. She informed him that they would always know where the other was at all times and it would eventually be difficult for the two of them to be far apart for very long.  
It was just getting to be day when she pointed him to a river where he could clean himself and she would bring him some fresh clothes.  
"You did all of this for me... I don't even know your name, lass."  
"It's Deino." she said softly. "And I'm sure you'll repay me somehow."  
Brynjolf chuckled but as he walked to the river he couldn't think of a way for that to be possible.


	5. Rannveig's Fast

Eteinne stared at Brynjolf for a long moment his mind trying to catch up with everything the man had said. Brynjolf was dead and Deino was the only reason he was even still standing. He frowned and turned away from the man to stare into his cup.  
"You two alright?" Deino asked.  
When Etienne looked up she was standing behind them her eyes narrowed as she looked between the two. He saw the look Brynjolf gave him before turning to her with a crooked smile.  
"Aye lass just sharing stories." he said smiling. "I'm glad your here, I know you just got back but I have a job I need your help with."  
"Oh?" Deino asked sitting on the other side of Etienne.  
"We found the last stone of Barenziah." Brynjolf said with a smile. "I need you and Etienne to retrieve it for the guild."  
"No problem." Deino said shrugging.  
"While you two are doing that Vex and Vipir are going to collect the actual crown."  
"When do we leave?" Etienne asked tilting his head.  
"In a few hours. The party will be soon, no doubt we'll need you to leave for the Black- Briar job when you get back."  
The two exchanged a look and tossed down the payment for the drinks then they turned for the door.  
"Lass." Brynjolf said grabbing Deino's arm lightly. "A word please?"  
Etienne looked at the two and he turned heading back into the cistern to gather the gear they would need for the trip. He needed weapons, some more lockpicks, and he imagined they may end up needing some potions to get by. He talked to Tonilia and Niruin on getting the things the they would need for the trip.  
Once that was done he headed to the market to get food for the trip.  
While he was collecting everything he thought about what Brynjolf had told him about the meeting with Deino. She had used something close to the conjuration school of magic to revive his friend but then he again he had never seen a spell last this long. A regular spell cast with the magic like they taught at the College of Winterhold couldn't do such a thing, that was something that was closer to the realms of Oblivion.  
Etienne frowned, if she was able to do all that then what else could she do?  
He had to admit that she didn't seem dangerous like he would have figured someone with that kind of power would be. She seemed like she was perfectly harmless deep down.  
Etienne had finished gathering the food for the trip and made his way to the secret entrance to wait for Deino to join him. Before he had even reached the secret entrance he could hear the grinding sound of the stone coffin moving across the rest of the stone. He stepped towards the doorway and he looked inside to see Deino climbing the stairs onto the street, she looked up at him with a slightly worried look on her face.  
"Brynjolf told you everything right?" Deino asked frowning.  
"Yes."  
Deino nodded slowly "Alright then."  
"What kind of magic was that? Conjuration doesn't do whatever the hell it is that you've done."  
Deino looked at him as they walked out onto the street heading towards the main gate. She looked over at him with a frown and there was a brief hum that she gave looking over at him.  
"No conjuration doesn't."  
"So what was it?"  
Deino sighed "It's a form of blood magic."  
Etienne's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock. Blood magic like necromancy was illegal in all of the provinces of Tamriel, punishable by death. The prices it usually required from the user and the one it was being used on were usually very great, no one knew what dark god the magic school served completely. Etienne wondered who or what she made a deal with, what the cost had been.  
He looked at Deino and then around at the people they were passing to make sure no one had heard what was said. Most people from Riften ignored the Thieves Guild unless they did something to actually go against the guild rules or against the will of Maven Black- Briar. If they happened to hear what was said between the two regarding blood magic then he knew that they would report it to the Jarl and that would lead to attacks against the guild.  
"Is there anything else that it can do?" he asked softly.  
Deino gave a slight sigh "I don't make a habit of using it very often. The cost is too great."  
"What did it cost to save Brynjolf?" he asked.  
Deino looked away from him "That's more complicated a question then you'd think."  
Etienne frowned that didn't sound good.

Once Brynjolf had bid Deino farewell he had turned to the rest of the guild and began giving them their assignments for the Black- Briar job. The prostitutes had already left and acquired jobs at the house in question, they would be there until the end of the job then they would return to Riften. Then he had spoken with Thrynn and one of the new recruits about getting jobs there as members of the man's security.  
They had been gone for a few days there already and had sent word that they had been employed by Niven Arn. They had a good idea of how many men were in the house and had sent the details of the house back to Brynjolf.  
In the time that all of their plants had been there they had already started the second phase of the plan. To ruin Niven Arn and seperate him from his wife's money. He had taken a liking to one of the girls they had sent to the house and the letter had already been sent to his wife saying she was urgently needed back home. They knew provided nothing happened to her on the road that she would arrive on the day of the party, it would be hard for him to deny anything when she saw it for herself.  
Brynjolf smiled to himself when he thought about the plan. He had gone over every detail and had made certain he hadn't missed anything important. Now they just had to make their way to the house.  
He, Khi'al, and Etienne were the ones whose names were on the invitations so that they could get inside to ensure that one of them would be able to get ahold of the documents. He hadn't been going to bring Etienne at first but had second thoughts when he realized how well he worked with Deino. The two had been getting on very well from what he had seen around the guild, then there was their success rate to think of.  
The two had managed to gather the remainder of the stones for the crown that they needed and they were the ones retrieving the final stone.  
He hadn't missed the admiration between the two, though from what he could tell there was nothing between them yet.

It took them a few days to reach Rannveigs's Fast and when they got there it was already late at night. The two had set up camp in the entrance way for the night and were taking turns keeping watch for any trouble. While they were sitting around the fire the two talked quietly so they could listen for anything moving towards the camp.  
Etienne looked at her and frowned slightly "So why'd you save Brynjolf? You didn't know him at the time."  
"It wouldn't have been right to let him die." she whispered.  
"Do you think he would have done the same in your place?"  
She was quiet for a moment and then shrugged "At the time no but now that we know one another I don't doubt Bryn."  
Etienne grunted and turned his head away from her to look out into the night.  
"Are you worried I wouldn't save you if it came to it?"  
Etienne looked over at her and chewed that over for a moment "Would you? Even if it came down to blood magic?"  
"I would."  
"Why?"  
Deino frowned then shrugged "Your one of the few friends I have."  
Etienne cringed a bit "Friends?"  
"Etienne.... I wouldn't mind it being more then friends."  
"No?"  
"I'll out live you by a lot, that doesn't bother you?"  
"Does it bother you?"  
"I'm sure in the future it will." Deino said with a chuckle.  
"Life is to short for long courtship or long anything really."  
Deino raised her brow at him questioningly "It's enough for you that we respect one another?"  
"We respect one another, we work well together, and neither of us wants the other to die. In my experience that's close enough to love."  
Deino snorted "That's..... fairly true in this line of work."  
Etienne smiled and the slowly stood moving to where they were sitting beside each other. Then he carefully put his arm around her his other hand cupping her face angling it down. With a smile he leaned forward pressing his lips to her's. He could tell by how stiffly she held herself that she wasn't quite as confident as he had expected and he pulled away.  
They eyed one another and then she gave a shy smile.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
"We're on the job." she said smirking.  
"Job first?" he sighed rolling his eyes.  
"Yeah."  
Etienne sighed and Deino bumped his shoulder a bit smiling.  
"It'll be worth the wait."

The two broke camp at dawn and made their way into the ruins. They crept in finding a few draugr and spirits roaming the halls keeping watch for intruders. They were easily dispatched with the gear the two had and they made their way further into the ruins.  
When they came to the main chamber they saw a large chest sitting close to one of the large carved stone walls that everyone called Word Walls. They were said to be written in the ancient dragon tongue and that there were very few people alive that could read the walls.  
They didn't missed the closed wooden doors to the sides of the room, the closed coffins, or the large grate just before reaching the chest. They both suspected it was a trap and they avoided it as they stepped closer to the center of the room.  
Etienne stepped forward examining the trap and found the trigger which he was quick to deactivate, he made sure no one would fall through if they stepped onto it. To test it he tossed one of the old urns onto the surface, it landed with a clattering noise but it didn't drop to the floor below. He glanced at Deino who had been watching silently from where she was standing.  
"Who do you think set this trap?" he asked quietly.  
"I don't know but they might not be gone." Deino muttered. "We might want to be quiet."  
Etienne nodded his agreement then glanced back at the urn he had tossed with a cringe.  
He followed her along the edge of the trap and towards the chest, there was very little in the chest in the way of reward. They found some gold, a few low cost gems, and some ruined books that had probably been there as long as the draugr. They put the contents -except the books- into their bags for travel.  
Once they had finished going through the chest they turned their attention to the wooden door that was on the side of the room. They made their way over to the door and found it locked, Etienne stood watch while Deino bent down to open the door with the picks. When the door was open they headed into the hall which had a set of stairs leading down further into the ruins, they kept low to the ground as they made their way down the stairs.  
They came to a room that made them pause in the entrance way.  
The room was full of small cages that held nothing but dead bodies in them, the bodies were fresh from what they could tell. Standing by one of the cages looking in was a black robed figure hands on hips watching the center cage. From what they could tell the cage he stood at was right below the trap door they had deactivated. The man was looking up at the trap and as they moved closer they could hear him speaking.  
"That's it just a bit closer.... the chest is right there..." he muttered watching the trap door.  
When nothing happened the man let out a curse.  
"The trigger must have jammed again!" he spat angrily. "I need new subjects! Can't finish my experiments without them.... oh well I suppose I'll just go collect him myself."  
The man turned around before the two could duck into cover and he froze in surprise. Then a wicked smile spread across his face as he eyed the two.  
"I'll just have to use you two!" he yelled.  
The man's hands began to glow red as fire sprang from his fingertips and he hurled a large ball of fire straight at the two. The two thieves leapt out of the way as the fireball hit the floor where they had been standing. They rolled away from the attack and they drew their weapons at the ready for the next attack. The two ran to the sides of the room where the cages kept them covered slightly.  
The man turned his head following both of them with his eyes and he turned holding his hands at the ready. He let out an angry yell as he tried to decide which one he was going to kill first.  
Etienne held the iron sword he had taken on the trip and he moved towards the man with his weapons at the ready. He ran along the side of the room which got the man's attention turned to him, a fireball already begining to form in his hands.  
"Etienne!" Deino called out.  
The man turned his head as the woman pulled back a bow letting an elven arrow fly from her bow. The moved to the side quickly and the arrow missed but so did his fireball that he had tossed towards Deino. The fireball burned out almost instantly because of the lack of concentration he had been able to put behind it.  
While he had been focused on her Etienne had managed to get closer to the man with his weapon. The eyes of the mage turned to him and the fireball was readied before he could follow through with the swing of his sword. The fireball was thrown by the man and it connected with Etienne's chest knocking him backwards as he rushed to try patting out the flames. He saw the man move forward quickly trying to kill Etienne before he could regain his feet.  
The wizard stood over him a readying another attack when an arrow suddenly swung forward hitting the man in the shoulder followed by a second arrow. The second arrow was what knocked the wizard back, it hit him in the ribs causing him to cry out in pain. The wizard fell back his hand gripping at his wounds as he cried out and turned to run for the back side of the chamber.  
Deino rushed to Etienne's side looking down at him pulling on his armor to check the severity of his wounds.  
"I'm alright." he said as she looked him over. "I'm alright damn it!"  
Deino released her hold on him and gave a crooked smile.  
She yanked him to his feet and turned towards the back of the chamber.  
"Let's finish this and find our prize." Deino said with a sigh.  
The two moved towards the end of the chamber listening intently for the sounds of the wizard, they heard sounds of distress from the wizard. They came to the door and saw that he was trying to remove the arrow from his ribs, he wasn't having any luck with the arrow. He looked up to see the two thieves making their way towards him and he turned around now weilding a staff, he lifted the staff already trying to castthe spell attributed to the staff.  
As he cast the spell against the stone floor in front of them a spectral wolf appeared in the spot fangs bared to the two thieves. The wolf launched itself towards them and the two ducked to the sides of the door, the wolf leaping past them with a snarl. The wolf landed in the larger chamber and whirled around jaws snapping at the two.  
"I'll handle the wolf, you handle the wizard and then we'll find the gem." Deino said drawing a dagger from her belt.  
Deino stepped to the side with the wolf's eyes locked on her as she moved around to give Etienne room to move towards the doorway again.  
Etienne charged into the room as the wizard pulled the arrow from his side, the man tossed the bloody arrow to the ground with a gasp of pain. He turned to look at the thief entering the room.  
"I'll kill both of you!" he snarled turning towards Etienne.  
Etienne charged forward and swung his iron sword the blade cutting through the man's raised arm. The swing cut through the man's wrist his hand cut off leaving behind a bloody stump. The wizard let out a shriek of pain, the hand he still had reaching out to grip the stump trying to slow the bleeding.  
"Why- why are you doing this?" he asked his face twisted in pain.  
Etienne frowned "Why? You tried to kill us!"  
The wizard stumbled away from him and he pressed himself into the back wall.  
"What do you want?" the wizard demanded. "I'll give you anything if you spare me!"  
Etienne hesitated then said "I'm here for the Stone of Barenziah."  
The wizard's eye widened and he frowned "That's it? You- you cut off my hand for that?"  
"I cut off your hand to keep you from killing me."  
"The stone is just there in my quarters. Take it and go."  
Etienne looked towards the room he had pointed at and he noticed that he'd have his back to the man.  
"How do I know you won't kill me as soon as my backs turned?"  
"Get the stone Etienne." Deino said stepping into the room.  
Etienne looked at Deino as she stood in the doorway her eyes locked on the wizard. He moved towards the room and went to retrieve he stone, it was right where the wizard had said it would be. He collected the stone and dumped it into the bag he was carrying. He turned and went back into the room with the other two.  
"You get it?" she asked.  
"Yeah."  
"Let's get out of here.... You. Wizard, you might want to burn the wound to keep from bleeding out." Deino said turning for the door.  
Etienne didn't miss the look of contempt he shot the two as they walked out of the room moving back towards the stairs. He had a bad feeling about letting the man live.

As they left the ruins he started walking towards the main road again they saw a man running along the road towards them. They paused in their travel as the man ran up to them, slowing.  
"Deino?" the man called.  
"Yes?" she called back.  
The man stopped in front of her pulling a letter from his bag "Letter from a man in Riften, said it was urgent."  
The man handed the letter over to the Wood Elf and she handed him a few gold pieces as a tip. The man started running along the road again heading towards Whiterun Hold.  
Etienne looked over her shoulder as she broke the wax seal on the letter.  
'Lass,  
'We're moving along with the plan, you won't have time to reach the cistern before making the trip. Join us in Markarth territory, you'll know the place.  
'Looking forward to seeing you, Bryn.'

"Well, I guess we'd better get a move on then." Etienne said with a frown.  
"I suppose so."


	6. The Party

When Etienne, Brynjolf, and Khi'al entered the house for the party an hour after it had begun. They began mingling with the other guests, recognizing a few high ranking officials in the hold governments and then members of other houses with high born names. They talked with them under the guise of being possible new clients for Niven Arn from Cyrodiil. They were welcomed with open arms by the guests.  
They saw the security teams moving along the halls as they stood together and then there were the serving girls, clad in very little clothing. They served drinks and suffered through the men around them putting hands on them. They gave friendly smiles and ignored most of the attention, they were used to it from working in the brothel.  
Deino walked among the guests serving drinks and she stopped by the three men from the guild offering them drinks.  
"Do you think you'll be able to slip away to get the documents?" Khi'al asked softly.  
She gave a slow nod "When I get a chance to slip away."  
Khi'al nodded his head with a small smile "Give the signal when you're ready."  
The woman smiled and walked off to the side of the room offering drinks as she went along. She looked back over her shoulder at Etienne with a smile and he shot her a wink a grin spreading across his face.  
The party continued with them very rarely seeing Niven Arn with the guests his attentions mostly kept to the few men he knew personally or with him watching the girls. He was very attentive with the women when they came by to offer him drinks or one of the finger foods they carried on the trays.  
When he circled around the room coming to a stop by the three thieves he paused eyeing them. They offered him their hands to shake and he did in turn with each of the three.  
"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting before." Niven Arn said frowning.  
"No we haven't." Khi'al said nodding. "We're traders from Cyrodiil, your company has offered it's services."  
Niven hummed and turned to look around the room.  
"What do you think of the party?" he asked gesturing around at the women. "See anything you like?"  
Etienne nodded and gestured with his tankard towards Deino "Yes, the elf."  
"You have a good eye, I see." Niven Arn said with a smirk. "Please don't be afraid to help yourself, everything is available for your pleasure here tonight."  
Etienne traded a look with the men beside him as Niven turned his attention to Deino, calling her over.  
When she came to stop in front of the man he pointed out Etienne to her "This man would like a moment of your time my dear. Be sure to give him your attention won't you?"  
Deino smiled pleasantly then turned to face Etienne.  
He reached out taking her arm in his hand and steering her away from the group giving Niven Arn a nod.  
Brynjolf and Khi'al noted that the other men were starting to do the same with the rest of the women that were acting as servants, it wasn't long before Niven disappeared with a woman himself. The other men didn't really even bother to find rooms starting to handle the women right in the ball room.  
"Let's hope they get those papers soon." Brynjolf muttered.

Etienne followed Deino along the hall as they moved towards the second floor where they knew the papers were being kept in the safe. The two hadn't been seen by anyone as they exited the party making their way towards the safe and when they reached the room they still hadn't seen anyone else.  
When they got into the room they walked over to the safe checking it out, it was a specail made safe and would take a lot fo skill to get into. Deino bent to the task of opening the safe while Etienne watched the door for any signs of someone coming their way, he could hear the sounds of the party getting a little heated from where he stood at the door.  
"Think you can get that open?" he asked quietly.  
"I wish Cynric had been the one to come along to crack the safe, he's better at this then me." she muttered.  
Etienne frowned slightly as he turned to continue watching out the door.  
They had been working on the safe making slow progress when they heard a loud screeching from the main room, the two exchanged a look. Niven Arn's wife was home.   
From where he watched at the door Etienne saw a middle aged redguard woman storming towards the master bedroom suite, anger written all over her face. He watched as she threw open the double doors to the room and then slung them shut behind her. He couldn't make out what was being said in the room but he heard the screaming. While he watched one of the girls from the brothel ran out of the room half naked.  
He watched her disappear down the stairs and he could see the room was open.  
Members of the security team ran into the room after they had heard the screaming.  
"Deino? You almost done?" he hissed, closing the door.  
He looked for a lock on the door but found none, he cursed under his breath as he turned to look at her.  
She gave a final twist of her wrist and the safe door popped open.  
"Get the contract and let's go we don't-" he began then they both heard the woman yelling.  
"Out! I want them all kicked out! Round them all up and throw them out of this house." Niven Arn's wife roared angrily.  
There was the sound of guards moving off to obey her orders, they didn't miss the sound of footsteps coming their way.  
"Shit." Deino muttered as the heard the sound.  
She closed the safe door quickly and stepped forward tucking the papers into Etienne's shirt. Before the door was flung open she pressed her mouth over his her hands running over him. Etienne took the hint and grabbed her lifting her leg to rest on his hip.  
The doors were flung open.  
"Etienne, Deino time to go." hissed Thrynn.  
The two broke apart with smirks.  
"We were worried it might be actual guards." Etienne said smirking.  
He grabbed Deino's hand pulling her along with him as they followed their guild mate out of the room.  
"Yeah well we need to get out of here before they realize I'm not a guard." Thrynn whispered chuckling.  
The three made their way out of the house as quickly as possible rejoining the rest of the guild members further up the road, where they handed the papers off to Brynjolf. He nodded his approval for a job well done.

Brynjolf knew even before they arrived back in RIften that word had reached Maven of their success. He went to the Bee and Barb to meet with her with the contract she had wanted retrieved. When he got to the second floor he found her sitting with a smug satisfied smile on her face.  
"Ah, Brynjolf. I've been expecting you." she said her eyes flicking up at him.  
"Got here as soon as I could." he said shrugging.  
He pulled the papers from his inner coat pocket of the clothes he was wearing and handed them over to Maven. She unfolded the papers her eyes flicking over the document as she nodded her head slowly. Then she folded the documents back up tucking them into her pocket before looking up at Brynjolf.  
"Your guild did very well." she said with a nod.  
"We do our best." Brynjolf said shrugging. "Now about our payment?"  
Maven smiled pulling out a coin purse and setting it on the table.  
Brynjolf lifted the bag and pulled open the purs strings to glance inside at the coins.  
"That and I have a shipment of new armors coming from the Cyrodiil guild I'm sure you'll lke the look of." Maven said looking at her hand. "To replace some of the damaged goods you have."  
"I'll pass this along to Khi'al." he assured her nodding his head. "Will that be all?"  
She smiled slowly then leaned back in her chair.  
"There is talk that the Empire stands ready to take Riften from the Stormcloaks. Should that happen I'm sure I have the guilds support to take the title of Jarl?"  
"The guild will do all it can to support those that support us."  
"Then we have an understanding."  
"Aye, we do."  
Brynjolf gave a nod to Maven and took his leave.  
He made his way back to the Ragged Flagon in good time and joined in on the celebrations. The guild had fixed the crown of Barenziah and were marveling at the craftsmanship that had gone behind making the thing.  
They were also celebrating the success of the Black- Briar job.  
When he entered the Flagon he didn't miss seeing Etienne and Deino seated in the corner pressed together. Etienne held her in his lap his hand ran around the back of her neck holding her face down towards his where their mouths were pressed together. They were mostly left alone and he figured they had been like that for awhile now.  
He joined the group making his way to Khi'al to hand off the money for the job.  
Brynjolf was on his second tankard of mead when Delvin grabbed his elbow pointing to the entrance of the Flagon. The guild went mostly silent as they turned to see what he was pointing at.  
A male nord with a black beard and bald head stepped into the Flagon looking around with a frown. He wore steel plated armor and carried what looked like a steel greatsword on his back. The guild stepped to the side eyeing him as he stepped forward his eyes narrowed.  
"Can we help you, friend?" Khi'al asked crossing his arms over his chest.  
"I'm looking for a man named Esbern...."


End file.
